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Functional Nucleic Acids Under Unusual Conditions
Author(s) -
Chang Tianjun,
He Sisi,
Amini Ryan,
Li Yingfu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.202100087
Subject(s) - deoxyribozyme , ribozyme , nucleic acid , aptamer , ligase ribozyme , rna , computational biology , nucleic acid structure , chemistry , riboswitch , g quadruplex , biology , combinatorial chemistry , biochemistry , nanotechnology , dna , microbiology and biotechnology , non coding rna , materials science , gene
Functional nucleic acids (FNAs), including naturally occurring ribozymes and riboswitches as well as artificially created DNAzymes and aptamers, have been popular molecular toolboxes for diverse applications. Given the high chemical stability of nucleic acids and their ability to fold into diverse sequence‐dependent structures, FNAs are suggested to be highly functional under unusual reaction conditions. This review will examine the progress of research on FNAs under conditions of low pH, high temperature, freezing conditions, and the inclusion of organic solvents and denaturants that are known to disrupt nucleic acid structures. The FNA species to be discussed include ribozymes, riboswitches, G‐quadruplex‐based peroxidase mimicking DNAzymes, RNA‐cleaving DNAzymes, and aptamers. Research within this space has not only revealed the hidden talents of FNAs but has also laid important groundwork for pursuing these intriguing functional macromolecules for unique applications.